Fostering Reflexivity through Integrative Approaches of the Sciences and Arts

Insights from a Transformative Real-world Lab with a Permaculture Intervention in Northwest Germany

Abstract

Against the backdrop of intensifying social-ecological crises, this paper examines the complexity of transformation processes and questions linear concepts of sustainability. Relating to collaborative work with an artist residency, the study investigates how permaculture — with its openly formulated ethics and design principles — can serve as a boundary object to support transformative processes. The study aims to (1) highlight the potential of integrative real-world lab approaches for socio-ecological transformations, (2) analyze the demands arising from their temporal and methodological complexity, and (3) explore how permaculture's gardening and social practices can foster transdisciplinarity and community-building. Through elaborations on ethnographic and collaborative procedures it shows respectively, that the integration of scientific and artistic approaches occurs across conceptual, methodological, and practical dimensions, which are proposed here as a heuristic model. Results underscore that communicative skills, openness, and patience are crucial for negotiating diverse perspectives and developing shared sustainability practices.